explosions in the sky
by xgoldxlionsx
Summary: It's not just any shard. This is a shard from the legendary Shikon no Tama..
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Title is subject to change. If I find a different title that suits this, I will change it. Thanks! C:

Enjoy! ~

oOo

He dropped a few golden coins beside the sleeping form of the woman on the futon. He had woken a little earlier than usual that morning to dress himself, to spare the possibility of awkward light talk. He hated that. He enjoyed their company, but he sneered at their level of intelligence. They were such simple creatures. Maybe he envied them.

He shook his head. No way was that possible. He was a renegade. He was a mercenary. He was free to sojourn throughout the land. And he got paid quite well for his work. They should envy him. He had it easy.

He grabbed his bayonetted musket that he had carefully leaned against one of the walls before he and the woman got intimate the night before. As he neared the mat to leave the hut, he stopped and looked back at the woman. She was lying on her stomach, her head facing the entrance, hair curling down the side of her flushed countenance.

She looked so tired. She looked so peaceful. He didn't even remember her name, but he recalled her soft hands, her whispery voice, her sweet lips. He smiled.

He didn't hate them. He could never hate women or think ill of them. Besides, conversations with him were never awkward. He just didn't want to disturb her; afterall, he was a gentleman. And he had to be on his way, anyway. He had a meeting with a dear friend that he refused to be tardy to.

He exited the hut, sun shining so brightly he had to raise a hand to shield his eyes from the rays. What a beautiful day! He strolled down the street, flashing handsome grins to every young lady that crossed his path. They swooned after him. He was gorgeous and everyone knew it.

The tea house he had promised to be at was just ahead and he could already see his friend's horse tied up. He could just imagine what his friend could possibly want from him. He required his services, no doubt. It didn't matter. Whatever he wanted, he would get! It was a beautiful day in the quaint little village! And nothing could dampen his mood.

He strutted into the tea house, and his swagger immediately caught the attention of every occupant. The women fawned over him as he passed by and the men grumbled with jealousy or chirped excitedly with admiration.

These looks and comments did not go unnoticed by the man as he offered a charming smile here and there, "Magoichi, over here!" He turned to the sound of his name and immediately spotted his friend.

"Ah, Hideyoshi!"

"Come, come! You, bring a round of sake for my friend here!" Magoichi approached the table as Hideyoshi stood. The two exchanged a unique handshake, chuckled and sat. Magoichi gracefully plopped down, legs crossed, musket across his lap.

"So, what do you want from me this time, Hideyoshi?" A woman garbed in a plain cream furisode shuffled her way toward their table with a tray and knelt down to set it on the surface, eyes downcast. Just as she was straightening up to leave, the man gently gripped her wrist and gazed up into her eyes. She gasped in surprise, meeting his gaze, "Thank you.." Magoichi dazzled her with a smile and her cheeks reddened considerably, "You have the most loveliest eyes I have ever seen."

"T-thank you, sir." She stuttered, clearly unaccustomed to having her clients flirt with her so shamelessly. His hand lingered on hers for a moment longer before he pulled away, reaching into a brown leather pouch.

"How much for the sake?" The girl looked over her shoulder, in the direction of a noisy kitchen. When she was sure she wasn't being watched, she turned back to look at Magoichi.

"It's on me."

"Oh, no, I insist!"

"No, no, it's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." The girl gave him a shy smile, to which Magoichi returned with a grateful one of his own.

"Extraordinary must come to the minds of all that think of you," Magoichi sighed contently, "Thank you for your generosity."

"It's no problem." She gave him one more smile, transferred the sake from the tray to the table, snatching the tray off the surface and scuttled away. Magoichi turned to look at his friend, who wore almost a pained look on his face.

"Are you—" He began, but was interrupted by laughter. Magoichi arched a brow at Hideyoshi.

"Magoichi, you're a sly dog!"

"What can I say? The ladies love me."

"I cannot believe you conned her into giving us free drinks. I have money, you know."

"Money isn't the issue. I just wanted to reaffirm my ability to charm people."

"Charm? Please," Hideyoshi scoffed, draining his cup of sake, "You coax them into your manipulative web of lies, Magoichi. You're nothing but a swindler."

"Well when you phrase it like that, Hideyoshi, of course it's gonna sound bad!" Hideyoshi laughed.

"Magoichi, it's been far too long."

"Agreed." He mimicked the actions fo his friend and emptied the contents of his cup, holding it up as Hideyoshi was in the process of refilling his own, "So.. did you miss me or is there something you want?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you were interested in a job."

"What sort of job?" Magoichi eyed the man across the table.

"Oh, it's nothing big. Just transporting goods. We don't want any of it being lost to ruffians, you know."

"Seems awful tedious to be askin' me to oversee the journey, Hideyoshi.. what's the catch?"

"Catch? Why must there be a catch?"

"It's too easy of a job to not have a catch. If it was nothing big, you'd bug peasants to help with security detail."

"All right, all right.. but you have to keep your mouth shut about this, you hear?" Magoichi narrowed his eyes. Hideyoshi ignored the look and leaned over the table. Magoichi did the same, "We got our hands on this shard and Nobunaga-sama wants it delivered to him at once, no interferences."

"Wait a minute.. you want me to babysit jewelry for Nobunaga? Sorry, Hideyoshi, but I've got—"

"I'm not done, Magoichi!" Hideyoshi began, impatiently, "It's not just any shard. This is a shard from the legendary Shikon no Tama. It's supposed to be very powerful, and whoever possesses a shard is said to gain unnatural puissance."

"Are you even sure it's a shard for the Shikon no Tama?"

"We're almost positive."

"Does anybody else know you guys got your grubby hands on one of these things?"

"Well, we're really trying to keep this as classified as possible." Magoichi detected the sarcasm.

"Hm.. sorcery." He frowned, distastefully, "I don't like the sounds of it."

"I know, neither do I. A lot of people are going crazy over this jewel, Magoichi."

"All you want me to do is make sure it gets to Nobunaga then? A shard that may or may not be worth the trouble it's going to cause?"

"That's the gist of it. He's willing to pay a great sum of money."

"All right.." Magoichi sighed, "I'll do it."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Enjoy. (:

oOo

She slowly slid her eyes open, the first thing in her line of vision was tan fur. A small smile erupted onto her countenance as she wrapped her arms around the furball and pulled it closer to her body, "Good morning, Kirara." She whispered into its ear. She received a loud purr in response. Kirara rubbed herself against her mistress' face, and the girl giggled, scratching the feline behind her ear.

Outside, she could hear her fellow villagers hustling about, getting an early start on the day. The girl groaned as memories of the previous night flooded her head and she remained lying down on her futon, realizing how tired she was. She closed her eyes as a head poked in to peer into her room.

The head cocked to its side as a body appeared behind it and the boy crawled toward the body. Kirara mewed happily at the sight of the boy, "Is sister sleeping, Kirara?" When the boy got no response from the feline, he continued creeping forward. The girl carefully snuck a peep at her brother and slid her lid shut, pretending to sleep.

As he inched closer, the girl's eyes flew open and she grinned at the boy. He gasped in surprise and stood on his knees. Alarmed, the girl quickly sat up, Kirara jumping into her lap, "Oh, Kohaku, I am sorry! Did I frighten you?"

"No.. I was just startled, Sango."

"Are you okay?"

"Positive, sister."

"Is otousan awake?" The boy nodded, "Is he in a good mood?"

"I think so. He was whistling when he left the hut earlier."

"How long have you been awake?" The boy shrugged, "We better go to the blacksmith's. If we are late, otousan will get angry and everyone else will think we are slacking off because we are the chief's children." Kohaku's brows furrowed at his sister's mumbles.

"Otousan said you can relax today because of yesterday."

"He did?" Sango tilted her head to the side. She appeared to think about the tidbit for a moment before shaking her head, "I am fine. Come, Kohaku, let's get dressed." Kirara tumbled off of Sango's lap as the elder sister scurried around her room, gathering her battle kimono. Kohaku slipped out of his sister's room to trudge into his next to hers.

After Sango had changed from her lightweight, white cotton yukata to her slim black and pink battle kimono, she emerged from her room, Kirara in tow. The girl dragged herself to the entrance of the hut she shared with her family. She stretched her arms above her head before grasping the leather strap of the large boomerang that had been leaning against the wall.

Sango attached it to her back with ease and yawned as she exited her home, "Good morning, Sango-chan." Some of the older women of the village called to the girl. She considered boweing her head, but greeted them a little informally with a smile. The women chuckled and one of them patted the top of her head before they were on their way.

Kohaku bumped into the back of his sister and grumbled under his breath. Sango glanced at him over her shoulder but said nothing to him as she made her way to the hut where the blacksmith worked. Kohaku hurried after her and Kirara was not far behind.

The trio arrived at the hut in record time as most of the villagers were not awake. The blacksmith was sitting against his workshop, grinning at the group, "You're up rather early."

"Yes, I was wondering if you could repair Hiraikotsu?"

"Ah, yes, I heard about what happened yesterday. I was wondering when you would come to see me. I was expecting you as soon as you returned."

"I did not wish to disturb you."

"Oh, nonsense, Sango! Let me see Hiraikotsu." The girl unstrapped the large boomerang and held it out to the blacksmith for observation as he got up. He struggled with it momentarily before holding up against the wall he previously had his back against, "I sometimes forget how heavy this thing is. I am always impressed with you whenever I see you lug it around so effortlessly." Sango smiled modestly at the compliment, "Now, what can I do for you, Kohaku?"

"Is my kusarigama ready yet?"

"Oh, yes! I have been meaning to give it to you, but it kept slipping my mind, what with the sudden uprisings of demons in the area lately. Hang on a second, kids." The blacksmith hurried into his hut. Sango glanced at Kohaku and noticed him suspiciously surveying their surroundings.

"Kohaku?" The boy snapped his head in her direction, clearly startled. Sango arched a brow, curiously.

"You seem awfully jumpy today, Kohaku.. are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, sister.."

"Sango, what are you doing up so early?" The girl turned to spot her father walking up to her, also garbed in his battle kimono, gas mask in place.

"I was getting Hiraikotsu fixed, otousan." The blacksmith emerged from his hut, Kohaku's kusarigama in hand.

"Here we go, Kohaku." He handed the boy the chain sickle.

"Thank you."

"Oh, good morning, my lord."

"Greetings."

"Yes, the crack isn't too bad in musume-san's Hiraikotsu. It can be fixed in a couple of hours."

"That is excellent news."

"May I patrol when Hiraikotsu is ready, otousan?"

"You worked very hard yesterday, musume, you deserve an afternoon off."

"But, otousan, if the other taijiya do not get days off, then I do not get days off either." Sango stared up at her father. He returned her stare for a moment before beaming down at her, proudly.

"Very well, Sango.. as soon as Hiraikotsu is fixed, recruit a couple of taijiya and patrol to the south."

"As you wish, otousan." Sango bowed her head, respectfully as the older man scooped Kohaku into his arms, despite his age. The boy released a laugh as his father set him back on the ground, an arm ground around his small shoulders. Sango watched the two of them disappear in the direction of their home.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you became the chief of the village some day, Sango." The blacksmith grinned at her. Sango couldn't help but beam a little.

"I will return for Hiraikotsu." The blacksmith nodded as the girl and the feline followed behind her father and brother. As more and more villagers began emerging from their homes, they noticed a change in demeanor in the daughter of the head of the village as she skipped by. She was smiling broadly. It was contagious when a reserved girl like Sango had happiness plastered across her visage.

The villagers smiled. It was going to be a good day.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Back to Magoichi. (:

Enjoy! ~

oOo

The musket rested across Magoichi's lap, a calloused hand closed around the middle of the gun. He observed the foot soldiers shouting orders to each other. He sighed heavily. It was going to be a long journey.

The lot of men had set out at the crack of dawn that morning and Magoichi forced himself to begin the trek with them, grumbling in annoyance most of the early morning as his horse trotted beside the wagon, "Lord Saika!" One of the soldiers hurried toward him on foot. The man's brow twitched. What was it with them and formality? Hadn't they listened to his incoherent speech earlier? He disliked being referred to as _lord._ If he wanted to be a lord, he would begin conquering villages.

"Waddaya want?" He mumbled, free hand tugging on the reigns of the horse to halt it. The horse neighed.

"A scout has been given information that there is a road blockade at the next bridge."

"How far is that?"

"Less than a kilometer, milord." Magoichi cursed his luck under his breath. Things had started out smoothily too.

"All right.." Magoichi signaled the wagons to stop and all eyes were on him, "You," He pointed to the first wagon and the soldiers accompanying it, "come with me. The rest of you move to the side of the road and await orders. You're not to move unless I say so, got it? And if any bandits come along, get rid of them."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers shouted in unison. There were five wagons in total. The fourth contained the reason he rolled out of his comfy futon that morning. None of the soldiers knew it though. The only other person who knew besides himself, Hideyoshi, and Nobunaga was already back at the lord's castle.

"Let's go." Magoichi dug the heel of his boot into the side of the mare, urging her forward. She cantered alongside the first wagon. Soon enough, the bridge came into view and Magoichi squinted to try and get a better look. The men at the makeshift bridge looked like officials. Were they Nobunaga's boys?

As they neared the bridge, one of the men held a hand out. Everyone slowed to a stop, "Where are you going?"

"Why do you need to know?" Magoichi knew he shouldn't agitate them, especially if they were officials. But if they were, he was irked that Hideyoshi didn't bother telling him about this. And if they were larceners, he wanted to dispose of them so the other wagons could get through without a problem.

"We need to know—" The man was interrupted as Magoichi gripped his musket, pointing it at the official's face.

"Listen, I don't have time for this. I have four other wagons 'bout a kilo behind us. We need to get through without any trouble, all right? I'm not exactly in the mood to be messed with right now."

The official's eyes widened as he stared down the barrel of the musket and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, nodding, "Do what he says!"

"That was easy enough, wasn't it? You," Magoichi pointed to one of the soldiers as he dismounted his horse, leading the mare to him, "Go back and tell the others it's all clear. And get a move on it!"

"Yes, milord!" The soldier quickly climbed ontop of the horse and took off with miraculous speed. Magoichi turned back to the officials as they clustered together, eyes staring uncertainly on the man with the strange weapon. He pointed the musket at them.

"Sorry to do this to you, but I can't afford any delays. Gentlemen of your stature can surely understand?"

"P-please, do not harm us!" One of the officials in the back piped up. Magoichi looked almost offended.

"I'm not gonna hurt any of you! Just as long as you do exactly what I say, none of you have to die, all right? We can be civil here." None of them responded. Magoichi shrugged a shoulder at their silence, musket still pointed at them. He glanced down the road he had come from and he could see the wagons quickly making their way onward over the small hills. Magoichi nodded in approval at their speed, "We'll be outta your hair soon, boys."

The wagons approached and the soldier that had been on the mare slid off so Magoichi could hop back on. He gripped the reigns and instructed the wagons to carefully cross the bridge before him. The officials warily eyed the men as they filed away. Two guards remained with Magoichi and he waited until the others were a good distance away before he casually ordered the men to tie up the officials, good 'n tight.

Once they had succeded in tying the officials to a nearby tree, the three men hurried until they caught up to the wagons. Magoichi halted the band once more as he slid off his horse. He wandered over to the fourth wagon, and extracted the small bundle the shard was in, slipping it inside of his coat. He mounted the horse once more.

"Where to now, milord?"

"All right, boys.. we're gonna split up at the next fork and meet in Tottori, at the Hideki. It's a tea house in the eastern division of the village." The soldiers nodded and they resumed their trek. A few hours passed when they finally came to the fork in the road Magoichi spoke of, "You got until tomorrow evening. Good luck, boys."

Magoichi rode with the second wagon, and he handed his musket to one of the nameless men, instructing him to put the weapon in the cache inside the wagon. He knew once the officials got free, they would spread the word about a band of five wagons making their way through the land, and a man with a bayonetted musket amongst them.

He sighed, hands clutching the reigns. Magoichi almost felt empty without the musket on his lap. His trigger finger twitched, causing the man to frown.

Magoichi and the several soldiers in his company continued until the sun set. He ordered them to pull off to the side of the road where they set up camp for the night. The next morning, they set out moments after dawn. Magoichi grumbled from his spot on the horse. He hadn't enjoyed the fine company of a woman in two days. He hadn't heard a woman's laughter, or seen a woman's smile, hadn't felt a woman's touch.

Magoichi sighed in irritation. The only times he was deprived of women were when he was going into battle. Now look at him. No women for two days and he hadn't even killed anybody.

_This better be worth it.. or I'll personally rip out Nobunaga's entrails and beat Hideyoshi with it.._

The sun had risen considerably. Magoichi estimated they would be in Tottori an hour or two later. Suddenly, the man noticed a a trio heading their way in the distance. From what he could make out, one was garbed in red, another in.. purple or blue and the last one caught him by surprise. It appeared to be a female.

_Well! This must be my lucky day!_

Magoichi began to whistle, his sudden cheerfulness catching the troops off-guard. The trio were close now and Magoichi could make out their details clearly. It was a female, wearing the shortest and strangest looking kimono he had ever had the pleasure of seeing in his days. The red male had long, white hair and small furry ears protruding from the crown of his head. The last male was a monk, from his robes. The trio stopped in front of them.

"All right, hand it over!" The first male shouted. Magoichi arched a brow at him.

"What are you talking about, stranger?"

"Your shard! Give it up! We know you have one!" Magoichi chuckled.

"You've caught me off-guard, I haven't a clue as to what you mean by that."

_How the hell does he know I have the shard?_

"InuYasha, you don't have to be so rude about it!" The female spoke, exasperated by the first male's behavior, "I'm sorry for his rudeness."

"Oh, it's quite all right, miss." Magoichi slid off of his horse and advanced on the girl, flashing her a dazzling smile. Her cheeks reddened, "I am Saika Magoichi." He gingerly took a hold of her hand, planting his lips against it. The first male, InuYasha rolled his golden eyes in annoyance.

"All right, all right, that's enough."

"I was unsure I would ever find someone as charming as myself, Magoichi-san." The second male said, impressed with the man's urbane manner, "I am Miroku."

"Greetings, Houshi-sama."

"My rude friend here is called InuYasha."

"And what might this pulchritudinous young lady's name be?"

"K-Kagome." She began, blush deepening.

"Kagome. What a beautiful name for such a ravishing woman." She giggled at the compliment, no doubt attracted by his suave words and comely face.

"Will you stop!" InuYasha snarled.

"Oh, I apologize, InuYasha. Is Kagome-san your woman?" The two stared at each other, almost appalled at the suggestion and shook their heads quickly.

"Of course not, you idiot! I just want the damn shard so we can get the hell out of here!"

"As I've said before, I will say again: I have no shard."

"Kagome sensed it. We know you have one!" Magoichi looked to the strangely-dressed female with interest. Sense? She could sense the power from the shard? Hm.. the shard was going to be worth the trouble it was causing. But if the shard was as powerful as Hideyoshi made it seem, was it wise to allow it to fall into the hands of someone like Nobunaga?

"Listen, I don't—" Magoichi stopped, mid-sentence as the white-haired man unsheathed a large sword, pointing the tip of it at his face. Magoichi looked rather unimpressed, almost bored. InuYasha furrowed his brows. He had expected the man to give up the shard as soon as he saw Tessaiga. What the hell?

"InuYasha, behave!"

"Give me the shard." He ignored the girl.

"Okay.. if you want it that badly." Magoichi reached into the wagon, unhooked the cache and retrieved his musket, silently challenging InuYasha as he aimed at him. Kagome's eyes widened, "I told you, I don't have a shard. I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"InuYasha, c'mon, maybe I was wrong." The girl wanted to avoid a conflict between the two. She didn't want her companion to bring harm to someone as charming as this stranger, Magoichi. The man didn't lower his weapon. InuYasha's ear twitched. It looked as if he wasn't going to budge, but after a moment, he returned his large sword to its tiny sheath. Magoichi eyed him. He wasn't human..

"Fine.." InuYasha stalked passed Magoichi as the barrel followed him until he was walking away, huffing angrily.

"I apologize for my idiot friend, Magoichi-san." The monk bowed before filing after the hot-headed man in red. As Kagome turned to follow, Magoichi grabbed her upper arm, pulling her to him.

"You sense shards?" She looked up at him, fearfully, as she nodded curtly, "I'm not going to hurt you.." He whispered into her ear, "What are you guys planning on doing with the shards?" He released Kagome. Miroku stopped to look back at them.

"Coming?" The girl was almost tempted to run off, but was intrigued by the man.

"I'll catch up in a bit, Miroku!" The Buddhist priest nodded as continued on his way, "We're going to put the pieces back together."

"All right, boys, Tottori is about an hour ahead. Go on and I'll catch up." The soldiers moved on. Their conversation continued in hushed whispers. Magoichi didn't want the other soldiers or anyone for the matter to accidentally overhear, "What happens then?"

"If the shards are put together, they can grant one person any wish."

"So these shards are the real deal, then?"

"Yes.."

"And one individual shard gives the bearer a great deal of power?"

"Yes."

"So.. the more shards a person has, the more powerful they become.."

"That's right. And we're trying to collect the shards of the Shikon no Tama so we can get rid of the jewel."

"You don't want the power?"

"Of course not. I accidentally shattered the shard. It's my fault demons and humans are going crazy over it. I want to fix it and make everything right again."

"What are you going to wish for?"

"I don't know.. maybe to get rid of the jewel forever." Magoichi eyed the girl.

"I have a shard.." He pulled the bundle from his coat and unravelled it, showing it to her.

"Where did you get it?" She gasped, staring at the man.

"I was hired by a friend to oversee its safe passage to the castle of the lord he serves under.. they aren't one hundred percent positive it's the real shard, but it turns out it is.. I don't trust the guy though.."

"So.." Kagome tilted her head to the side, "You're giving it to me?"

"Of course not, girl," He chuckled, merrily, putting the shard back into his coat, "I'm going to go to Tottori. You and your friends meet me at the Hideki in two days. I want to give you the shard, but I need to find a close resemblance."

"How do you know I can be trusted though?"

"I have good judgement.. besides, if you turn out to be exactly what you say you aren't, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you." Magoichi grinned, "How does that sound?"

Kagome looked at him, nervously, "Seems fair enough."

"Good."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Back to Sango & the Taijiya village. Also, I completely forgot to include Shippou in the second chapter. He is there though.

Enjoy. ~

oOo

_"Thank you so much, taijiya-san! Is there any way we can ever repay you for your services?" The villagers gathered around. Sango originally only had pieces of the centipede left over for her village's blacksmith to reuse for armor and the sort, but something caught her eye. It was a glittering pink shard in the pile of the deceased demon._

_The girl knelt down to pick it up, "May I keep this shard?"_

_"Of course, taijiya-san, anything you like!"_

oOo

_"Sister.. do you ever get frightened when you are fighting demons?"_

_"Yes, even I can get scared sometimes, Kohaku-kun."_

oOo

_"Bravo, Sango!" The only female amongst the group of taijiya allowed a smile to grace her face. It was covered by the gas mask she wore._

_"Yes, well done." Her father stood beside her. The smile soon left the girl's visage as she gazed into the faces of the occupants of the castle. Something wasn't right.. they looked so amused. That demon was far too easy to defeat.. Sango grew uneasy. _

_Sango felt movement behind her and that sound. A sound she was too accustomed to hearing. A grunt followed and she turned to see that Kohaku had slayed their comrades, including their father. Her eyes widened to their fullest extent, "Otousan!" She asked, bewildered, "Kohaku, why are you doing this?" _

oOo

_A web? In the back of Kohaku's neck? That man! He sat there, smiling at them, oddly, "He's the one!" Sango exclaimed, kicking Kohaku to the ground, racing toward the man. Suddenly, Sango felt a piercing pain in her back and slowed until she stopped altogether, eyes wide, blood dripping onto the ground. She glanced down, noticing the blood. Kohaku's kusarigama was wedged into her back._

_"Oh, no.." She could hear Kohaku's faint voice, "Sango.. what have I done?" He cried out, running toward her, "No!" _

oOo

_Sango crawled toward Kohaku, the arrows poking out of his body. She immediately noticed the blood seeping from the side of his mouth, the tears leaking from his eyes. This was her fault. She promised she would protect him. She said everything would be okay, that he was safe with her. He was just a little boy. He was too young to die. _

_Sango shakily brushed the tears from his cheeks and wiped the blood from his mouth. Her eyes watered. _

_"Sango.. I am so afraid.." Kohaku died in her arms._

_"No.. Kohaku!" She choked back a sob as she was hit from the villagers' arrows. Sango struggled for a moment, trying to support herself, but her arms gave out and she landed on top of her liveless brother. It was harder for her to breathe. Her eyes closed. She felt nothing._

oOo

"No!" Sango sat up, body covered in a cold sweat. She glanced around the roo. She was home? The girl looked down at her body. She was wearing what she had fallen asleep in.. her cotton yukata. Her battle kimono was neatly folded in the corner. She was not bleeding.. there were no visible wounds. She was home. She was okay.

Was it a dream?

Kirara perked her head up, ears erect as she gazed up at her mistress, head cocking to the side. Sango needed to make sure it wasn't real. She rolled out of her futon and tiptoed out of her room and toward Kohaku's, Kirara following behind her, curiously.. She poked her head in and saw his sleeping form in the middle of the room. He was breathing. He was just asleep.

Next, she checked on her father and saw that he was peacefully asleep in his futon, eyes closed. Sango could hear his light snores and sighed with relief, leaning against the doorway.

What a terrible dream.

Sango went back to Kohaku's room and sat one of the walls, watching her younger brother as he slept. Kirara curled up in her lap.

She couldn't get the images of her brother mercilessly slaughtering their comrades out of her head. But it was just a dream.. she didn't have to worry about that happening. Still, the girl couldn't help but feel uneasy. Even as she crawled back to bed, sleep was not with her. She stared out of the window, the rice mat rolled up to expose the moon.

Why did it seem so real? She could almost feel the pain when she woke up. It was nothing. It was just a dream. She needed to stop worrying about it..

oOo

"Sango! Sango, wake up!" The girl's eyes slowly opened. She had fallen asleep? She sat up, groggily, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She turned to give her attention to her brother.

"What is it, Kohaku?"

"Otousan says there's a centipede he wants you to take care of."

"All right.. I will be out there in a moment, Kohaku-kun." Before the boy could leave, Sango wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her, hugging him tightly, "I love you, Kohaku." She whispered into his ear. The boy's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he returned her embrace.

"You better hurry, sister. Otousan will get angry." He mumbled back. Sango laughed and nodded, releasing her hold on him, "Are you okay?"

"Yes.. just a strange dream." Kohaku nodded his head in total understanding and Sango couldn't help but smile at him, "Tell otousan I will meet him at the well."

"Okay!"

oOo

Sango threw her Hiraikotsu one last time, eradicating the demon. A wave of dizziness washed over the girl as she caught her large boomerang. She stood still, brows burrowed, eyes blinking. This all looked familiar..

"Thank you so much, taijiya-san! Is there any way we can ever repay you for your services?" The villagers crowded around Sango and her handiwork. Sango's eyes widened.

_Oh no.. no, no, no._

The girl ignored the peasants and quickly turned to the carcass, falling to her knees and digging through it until she found the shard. It glistened in the sunlight as it rested against her open palm.

_No.. _

A sense of dread immediately flooded Sango as she gripped the shard, strapped Hiraikotsu to her shoulders and hurried away, "Taijiya-san! Where are you going?" They had noticed the fearful look on the girl's countenance. It frightened them.

"I need to return to my village!" She shouted over her shoulder.

_This isn't possible!_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sooo Magoichi has met InuYasha and the gang. And he's going to betray Hideyoshi and Nobunaga and give his shard to Kagome. O:

Enjoy! ~

oOo

Magoichi arrived to Tottori later than he originally planned, trying to avoid unnecessary attention, evading officials and their soldiers. His own troops were a little on edge, glancing over their shoulders, expecting to see the officials by the bridge. Magoichi wasn't worried about them. He was more concerned with the jewel against his chest.

He didn't care for power. He didn't want it and was not tempted by the power of the jewel. Magoichi felt terrible about going behind Hideyoshi's back, but he knew what Nobunaga would do with it and he didn't want to imagine a world with that cruel monster as its leader.

"Lord Magoichi, the Hideki Teahouse is just ahead." One of the soldiers reported to him. As they neared the tea house, the renegade could see three of the five wagons he had set out with. He was with the fourth and the fifth must've been delayed.

_I hope they weren't stopped by an scouts. That'd be just my luck.._

Magoichi sighed as he gripped his musket in one hand and the reigns of the horse in the other. He tugged on the reigns and the horse neighed, trotting to a stop at the entrance of the tea house. He slid off of the animal and held out the reigns to the first soldier to hurry to him. His soldiers filed behind him as they entered the establishment. The other troops had already seated themselves in a far corner and Magoichi pushed his way toward them.

"M'lord." They mumbled in unison, respectfully bowing their heads as the man took a seat. As they settled down and got sake served to them by the average-looking women of the place, they all stared at him.

"None of you have heard from the last wagon?"

"No, Saika-sama."

"All right.. we're going to hang low for a couple of days.. give them time to catch up if they've just fallen behind. I want you to assemble two trios of scouts though to trail back and make sure they didn't get themselves into any trouble, Captain."

"As you wish." Magoichi downed his cup of sake and didn't wait around to hear the soldier barking orders at the others. He needed to find a jewel that resembled the shard of the Shikon no Tama.

Magoichi wandered outside, his musket resting against his shoulder, calloused hand cupping the butt of the gun. The sun was shining brightly overhead and he had to raise his free hand to block the rays from his eyes. The dirt streets of Tottori were packed and the hustle of brustle of the village seemed neverending. He needed to find someone who might deal with jewels, but he wasn't sure if he should check with the merchants of the village or the criminals.

Should he browse through the teahouse district first? Would he have better luck trying to purchase one or should he steal it instead? Would that draw unwanted attention his way? Would it be a good idea to try wandering through the upperclass section of the village?

Magoichi stood in the middle of the road for a moment and it immediately dawned onto him: he had no idea where to start.

_Dammit.. what did I get myself into?_

oOo

"How's this one?" It was late the second night. Magoichi had searched every possible shop he could think of, nonstop. He leaned against a shelf, piled with books, tiredly. He had barely slept and forgot to eat. Rings formed under his eyes and his countenance was scruffier than usual. His musket occupied one of the tables of the large room, an oil lamp beside it.

Magoichi rubbed his eyes with a knuckle before pushing himself off the shelf to look over the elder's shoulder.

He had heard word of a crazy, mean old man with a rumored gem collection and the possibility he had purchased a shard of the powerful Shikon no Tama was not uncommon. Magoichi wanted to hug the kids he eavesdropped on; that tidbit had been his only lead and he listened hopefully for a location. Soon enough, he got it and was on his way.

Magoichi stared intently into the wrinkly palm of the man as a small shard sparkled dully at him from the poor lighting. His eyes widened. It was an exact replica! The old man glance dover his shoulder and chuckled at the stunned expression on the young man's face.

"Is it..?"

"No, of course not."

"But it looks just like it!"

"I know, but I aquired this many, many years ago, after the Shikon no Tama originally disappeared and long before this lady friend of yours shattered it into a thousand pieces." The man nodded sagely. Magoichi couldnt' seem to peel his eyes away from it.

"And.. you would be willing to part with it?"

"I do not see a problem with it. I am not attached to it any way and you seem to need it more than an old geezer." Magoichi smiled gratefully at him. He had spent a couple of hours or so talking to the old man, getting straight to the point and carefully explaining his predicament. He listened to his story and immediately nodded, motioning for Magoichi to follow him.

Magoichi had to say he was a bit nervous about meeting the old man. He had imagined him just as the kids described: cold, wicked, dangerous. Contrariwise, this man was the complete opposite. As Magoichi recalled the children, the old man laughed loudly, "I don't understand why they'd think that of you."

"I like to give the kids around here something to talk about." He had winked at Magoichi.

The old man handed Magoichi the shard, "Thank you so much.. you must let me pay you for this." He reached for his leather pouch, but the old man swatted at his hand.

"Nonsense! Keep your coins!"

"But—"

"But nothing. Get out of here." Magoichi smiled before grabbing his musket and taking his leave. He stopped at the entrance of his shop and glanced over his shoulder to spy the old man's back to him. Magoichi soundlessly emptied his pouch of coins into a clay bowl and slipped out.

oOo

"Lord Saika.." Magoichi's brows furrowed in his sleep. He didn't want to wake up. He was so peaceful where he was, "Lord Saika, a woman by the name of Kagome is here to see you." This roused the man from his slumber. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Is she alone?"

"No, m'lord, there are three others with her: a male half-breed, a monk, and a small boy." Magoichi nodded, "The half-breed made quite the ruckus." That sounded like that damn loud-mouthed mutt.

"Send them in."

"M'lord?"

"It's all right."

"If I may?"

"What is it?"

"Who are they?" He mused over the question for a moment, wondering if he should answer truthfully. The Captain had been devoted to him the entire journey and confided in him. He had worked with him many times before for Hideyoshi and could always count on him.

"Friends of mine." The Captain held Magoichi's gaze for a moment before bowing and leaving the room. Magoichi and his troupe had rented out the rooms above the Hideki tea house. He remained in his futon, shirtless, musket beneath the light sheet covering his lower half. His belongings had been scattered throughout the room, and he didn't bother tidying up the place before the strange girl timidly poked her head in, "Come in."

Kagome and her odd group entered, conspiciously arching a brow at the mess. Magoichi grinned. The girl turned to look at him and her cheeks flared at his bare chest and finely chiselled abdomen. InuYasha's annoyed expression quickly turned into a scowl at the girl, "You couldn't put a shirt on, could ya?"

"I don't see any reason to. This is my room, after all."

"What the hell are we doing here anyway, Kagome?" InuYasha turned to the girl, snapping at her.

"You mean you didn't tell them?" Magoichi raised a brow.

"Well.. I was going to.."

"And what stopped ya?" InuYasha frowned.

"InuYasha, calm yourself." The monk, Miroku, interjected.

"I want to know what the hell I'm doing here!" He shouted.

"There's no need to raise your voice." Magoichi stated, coolly, "Toss me that jacket, will you?" The fox child, Shippou, hurried to the task and tugged the jacket toward Magoichi's futon. The renegade flashed him a grin and scooped it up as he stood, bayonetted musket glued to his hand. Kagome regarded the weapon with caution. He dug through the inside pockets of his coat before pulling out the bundle. He handed it to the girl.

"So, you found a copy?" Kagome piped up hopefully, unraveling the bundle. InuYasha glowered at the secretive pair.

"What the hell are you talking about? What is that?" Kagome held out the shard for him to see. His jaw dropped.

"You are giving us your shard?" Miroku asked, moving forward to observe the shard.

"I don't need it."

"Where'd ya get it from?" InuYasha recovered from his initial shock and scrutinized the shirtless musketeer.

"Does it matter?"

"What the hell do you think?"

"Are all those soldiers under your command, Magoichi-san?" Miroku questioned. The man chose to ignore InuYasha and turned to the Buddhist priest.

"For the moment, they are."

"What do you mean?" Shippou stared up at the man, in awe.

"Well.." Magoichi was hesitant to tell them anything. He knew he could trust Kagome, since her companions looked morbidly confused. He knew they weren't pretending.. the monk, maybe, but not someone as hot-headed as InuYasha. His temper was too good to be a display for his sake, "I was hired by a friend of mine to oversee the wagons outside to his lord's castle.."

"So I was correct." Miroku mumbled. Magoichi arched a brow, curiously, "You are the leader of the Saika-Ikki. You are a mercenary from the Saika village." Magoichi smirked.

"How'd you guess?"

"Your arquebus and the yatagarasu on your jacket."

"So, does my reputation precede me?"

"Quite. I've heard that the leader of the rifle brigade was a shameless womanizer." Magoichi smiled sheepishly, "I am honoured to know you, Magoichi-san."

"Likewise, houshi-sama." InuYasha rolled his eyes at the two men.

"So what the hell does any of this have to do with the shard and how he got it?"

"Oh, I get it.." Kagome gazed at Magoichi, thoughtfully, "You're friends with Toyotomi Hideyoshi."

"Ah, the monkey, of course." Miroku began under his breath, but his eyes widened as Magoichi pointed the tip of his bayonet at the man's face, "Forgive me, I meant no insult, Magoichi-san—" The mercenary laughed as he lowered his musket.

"Yeah, Hideyoshi's a good friend of mine."

"Hey, is it the same Toyotomi that worked for Oda Nobunaga?" Kagome asked, excitedly.

"_Worked_?" Magoichi blinked, "He's still drooling after that bastard."

"You don't like the Oda?" Miroku asked.

"I don't trust Nobunaga, but Hideyoshi's loyalty to him is daunting, to say the least.. and I'd do just about anything for that monkey, as much as it kills me that he usually asks for favors that help the Oda."

"Understandable.." The monk nodded, "The Oda are unrelentless. I hear Nobunaga is a formidable man."

"Who the hell is Nobunaga and Hideyoshi?" InuYasha demanded in an angry huff.

"While you were comatose, InuYasha, the lords of the land have been fighting to take control of Japan so they can unltimately unify the country," Miroku explained. The half-breed laughed.

"Control the land? Right," He scoffed, "They've got no chance in hell of slapping leashes on demons."

"They don't intend to." Magoichi slipped into the conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"They don't want the tainted blood of a demon working under them. Men don't trust them, they're going to kill any demon they come across, until there's none left." InuYasha rolled his eyes once more.

"I doubt that." Magoichi remained silent. He noticed how amused that made InuYasha but decided against bursting his bubble for the time being, "Lets get the hell out of here.."

"Won't you join us, Magoichi?" Kagome smiled at the man. As much as he wanted to stay in the company of a beautiful woman, he had a job to do and reluctantly reclined.

"I'm sorry, Kagome-chan.. I have to deliver these wagons to the Oda castle.. but don't worry.." Magoichi slid a hand under her chin, tilting her head back, ever-so-slightly, "We will meet again."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I haven't paid this nearly as much attention as I should and with recent requests, I've decided to pick it back up. That and I've been playing Warriors Orochi whenever I find the time, and that's surprisingly good motivation.

**Refresher**! Magoichi was offered a job by Hideyoshi to oversee transportation of a shard of the Shikon no Tama, to Nobunaga's castle. Along the way, he bumped into Kagome and the gang, pre-Sango. Sango's story is developing more slowly than Magoichi's, but it'll pick up soon, hopefully. :P

Enjoy~

xo

* * *

As Sango departed, she left behind the strong bones of the centipede demon. Kirara raced alongside her mistress, faithfully, mind lingering on the remains. The head of the village was going to be very upset with her mistress for not bringing the carcass back with them. But something had spooked Sango back there. Nothing ever spooked her. Whatever it was, it must've been enough to forget the remains.

Kirara immediately transformed into her larger form in a ball of flames as soon as they came into the same clearing they touched down in earlier that day. Sango effortlessly mounted the giant feline and the two ascended into the sky, the wind slapping the girl across the face.  
Her mind raced. Her heart thudded against the cavity of her chest. As she clutched Kirara's fur, she felt the tiny shard pulsating against her clammy palm, perfectly in unison with her beating heart. Vivid images of her nightmare flashed through her mind's eye and she felt the tears swelling.

Sango recalled the wave of déjà vu crashing over her as she reentered the scene a second time—no, wait, a first time.. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself. The tears slid off her cheek, and into the breeze behind the pair as they hurried as quickly as they could back to their home.

_It was a dream.. just a dream.._

**But it was not a dream! It was a vision!**

_I have never had a vision before! Visions do not visit the Taijiya clan! I slay demons! What is happening?_

**I knew we were going to eliminate that demon.. I do not know how, but I did.. and.. the spider. Kohaku.. he will kill us!**

_No! Shut up! Kohaku would never do such a thing—_

**It WAS NOT him! It was the lord of the palace! He somehow controlled my dearest Kohaku..**

_Oh no.. what am I going to do?_

Sango lowered her face and sobbed into Kirara's fur, her arms wrapped tightly around her. The feline's ears lied flat against her head as she felt every quivering breath being taken in by her mistress. Stopping just shortly before the village, Kirara descended and waited until Sango's tears had subsided and she was able to compose herself.

The Taijiya slid off of Kirara and immediately hugged the feline before she could shrink back. Confused and concerned, Kirara nuzzled her wet snout into Sango, bringing her scratchy tongue against her cheek.

Sango pulled away, smiling ruefully at her. She stared into the large, doe-eyed gaze of her faithful companion. It was obvious it pained Kirara to see her mistress so distraught.

"Kirara, you have been my best friend.. there has never been a day that has gone by where you are not by my side. I trust you and love you unconditionally.. and because of our unseverable bond, I must admit to you, my friend.. that I am truly afraid.."

At the words, Kirara's ears perked up as she cocked her head to the side. She wasn't following.. why was Sango suddenly so afraid? What happened? What was going on?

"For the first time in my life, Kirara, I am so frightened.." Sango's eyes watered once again, "Last night.. my dream.. it was so awful. I cannot imagine a more terrible thing.." Her voice cracked, "Kohaku did unspeakable horrors, Kirara. I do not wish to believe it, but back there.. in that village.." Sango pointed in the direction they had flown from, "I was overcome with a paralyzing familiarity.. I saw what was happening before it occurred. I dreamt of that space and time. And I have seen what will happen.. Oh, but, Kirara!" Sango explained, the emotional distress so evident in her tone, "I do not know what I can do about it! I do not know when or where it will happen, but it was not Kohaku.. but it was.. but.. but.. it was not!"

Kirara's nose twitched as her mistress turned toward her, bottom lip trembling, tears flowing freely, cascading down her flushed cheeks, "Kirara, it was him, and yet it was not! He was being manipulated.. controlled! So Kohaku killed outousan, but it was not him. He would never.." Sango sank to her knees, tresses shielding her eyes from the rest of the world. Kirara regarded her with caution.

The Taijiya slammed her balled fist into the dirt, "Dammit!" She raised the fist again and slammed it into the ground, "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" With each outcry, the girl punched the earth. She unstrapped Hiraikotsu and left it wherever it decided to fall and lie. Kirara crouched down on her belly and slowly crawled toward Sango, growling softly.

Sango lifted her gaze to Kirara and outstretched the dirtied fist, opening her palm to reveal the glistening pink shard. Kirara's ear twitched as she noticed her mistress's hand shaking slightly, "I have seen this same jewel twice.. once in my mind and just now.. before we left the village.. Kirara.. what am I going to do? How do I tell otousan?" She asked, whispering, desperately seeking advice from her feline friend.

When Kirara could do nothing more than rest her chin upon Sango's lap, the girl realized it was up to her to decide her next course of action.. but how could she tell her father? How was she supposed to tell him that his only son was going to slaughter him, and his own sister? And their top Taijiya.. he would find that crazy enough.. and how was she supposed to inform him that the lord they were trying to help was in fact a demon and tricked them and used Kohaku as his personal pawn?

"He will never believe me, Kirara.. no matter what I tell him, otousan does not believe in mystics or visions.. he will think I am losing my mind.. but I know I am right! You believe me, don't you, Kirara?" Sango glanced down at her as Kirara looked up to meet her eyes. Kirara inclined her head and Sango released a dry chuckle, "You are not just agreeing with me, right? You would let me know if I was truly going mad.." Kirara responded with a lick of the Taijiya's chin.

Sango sighed but managed to smile at her best friend. Kirara.. what would she do without her by her side?

"Come, Kirara.. we must warn otousan."


End file.
